REVIEWER: There is no Relationship between the Reviewer and The Software Developer(s)

Intro:

LogMeIn Hamachi² is a great little software utility that allows users from accross the globe to join a "LAN". This has multiple uses, such as file sharing, Gaming (One of its most used applications), Networking, Chatting (Instead of conventional IM Software), and also business based functions.

Using this software, makes life a little simpler when rolling out private alpha tests on things such as game servers, as you do not have to worry about handing out secrets keys, or passwords, as a user would have to join your network (which you can password protect, and is joinable from Network Name and/or IP {IP Is unique, and not your LAN/WAN IP})

For the same reasons, it also makes commercial use, rather simple and very secure. You also have the option to "Evict" a user from your network, so if you have a member of staff, who has thier home computer connected to the network, and they no longer require access for any reason (Lost Job, Moved to new project), they can easily have thier access revoked.

Who is this app designed for:

Gamers

Developers

Network Admins

Groups of Friends

File Sharing Groups

The Good

Very Fast

Very Secure

No Bugs (That I have found)

Only allows access to public files, if a user has allowed them to be shared.

The needs improvement section

No bugs to report, no crashes and no actual bad points. In my total, honest opinion, other than a few missing features I have requested for my own reasons, nothing could really use improvement.

Why I think you should use this product

If you require access to LAN capabilities, while out at work, or at home, then this is the software for you. Very simple to use, Great UI, no unrequired buttons or features, large "Power Off" button (Shuts down all your virtual networks), creates a static IP for your LAN.

The security is rather good, with the ability to password protect your networks, and evict any users you no longer want on it, you feel in full control of everything.

How does it compare to similar apps

Smaller Application than most, no annoying nag screens on the free version, and no limitations that a normal user would notice or care about. The free version has limitations, but less than most apps in the same catagory.

Conclusions

My conclusion is, that if you require LAN capabilities, without wanting to pay high prices, then this is the software for you. With a UI that even someone with very little technical knowledge could work around, yet with the power of a great application, it is a must for any Developer, or Network Admin who wants total, and simple access to files on other computers, with no hassle.

Games Developers would find this application very usefull as it allows them to test out LAN gaming, without the need for all the testers to be in the same building. (Also great for private network gaming, or International LAN parties)

Not very useful to test LAN gaming, really - since the programming model for LAN and WAN is pretty much the same, if you want LAN to be handled differently from WAN it would be to take advantage of the lower latency or the higher bandwidth... you don't get that when emulating a LAN over WAN

<tinfoil hat>Does the complete lack of needing to do any port forwarding configuration mean that all traffic between the user networks uses hamachi servers as intermediate party? If so, wouldn't that put them in a perfect position to mitm snoop your traffic? :S </tinfoil hat>

Since this is working at the level of a VPN connection, I assume that it's usable to establish a Remote Desktop connection to the machine at the other end?

How does it affect TCP/IP routing? Specifically, I'm wondering what happens if I try to use this to connect from work to home. If I have a connection open to my home computer, will my network stack still know that work-internal traffic should not travel through the Hamachi VPN, but stay within work?

Since this is working at the level of a VPN connection, I assume that it's usable to establish a Remote Desktop connection to the machine at the other end?

How does it affect TCP/IP routing? Specifically, I'm wondering what happens if I try to use this to connect from work to home. If I have a connection open to my home computer, will my network stack still know that work-internal traffic should not travel through the Hamachi VPN, but stay within work?

No RDC options in the version I reviewed, but you _can_ connect to public shared folders on the target machine. That is the only real connection you have to the other machines, if the setting on said machine(s) is enabled.

How does it affect TCP/IP routing? Specifically, I'm wondering what happens if I try to use this to connect from work to home. If I have a connection open to my home computer, will my network stack still know that work-internal traffic should not travel through the Hamachi VPN, but stay within work?

Haven't tested this, but computers participating in a hamachi VLAN get a separate IP (using a virtual network adapter? can't remember!) in a relatively crazy range - like 5.122.21.181 (random IP from google images result) - so normal traffic should be routed normally, and only VLAN related traffic should go through the hamachi tunnel.

The real interesting question would be how it cooperates with other VPN solutions - you're probably SOL if you use Cisco